Swimming goggle and strap structure

ABSTRACT

A swimming goggle and a strap structure are disclosed. The swimming goggle includes a goggle main body and the aforesaid strap structure. The goggle main body includes a lens assembly and two lateral connectors which are disposed on two sides of the lens assembly, respectively. The strap structure includes a strap body, an adjusting component and a positioning component. The strap body connects to the lateral connectors of the goggle main body. The adjusting component and positioning component are slidably disposed on the strap body and clamp the strap body. The adjusting component is in front of the positioning component. Therefore, the strap structure can be automatically adjusted to a suitable tightness.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Taiwan Application No. 109103293 filed Jan. 31, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention

The present invention provides a swimming goggle and a strap structure. In particular, it provides a swimming goggle and a strap structure which can be comfortably worn by users.

Descriptions of the Related Art

During underwater activities such as swimming or the like, users often wear swimming goggles (or called diving goggles or goggles) to protect the eyes thereof. Before wearing a swimming goggle, the user will adjust the strap of the swimming goggle to a longer length so that the strap can easily encircle the head thereof. Then, the user tightens the strap (i.e., reduces the length of the part of the strap that encircles the head) so that the swimming goggle is fixed and tightly fitted around the eyes. To prevent water from seeping into the swimming goggle, the swimming goggle needs to moderately but not excessively press around the eyes. Otherwise, the pressure may cause discomfort to the skin around the eyes, elevated intraocular pressure or other health damages.

Before swimming, the user usually makes several adjustments to the length of the strap to ensure that the swimming goggle does not excessively press around the eyes. However, sometimes the user may only discover that the strap is too tight or too loose after he/she has started swimming, and then the user needs to adjust the length of the strap again. Making adjustments while swimming is inconvenient and may not always be feasible. It is inconvenient to adjust the length of the strap to make the strap have an appropriate tightness (tension).

Users also face the above inconveniences when they wear protective goggles or the like, such as in sports and certain occupations. The length (tightness) of straps of these goggles also need to be adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a swimming goggle that has a strap that can be automatically adjusted to a suitable tightness. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a strap structure, which can be used for a swimming goggle or the like and can be automatically adjusted to a suitable tightness. Thus, inconvenience when adjusting the length of the strap can be reduced for the user, and the strap can be prevented from being too tight.

To achieve the aforesaid objectives, a swimming goggle of the present invention preferably comprises: a goggle main body, including a lens assembly and lateral connectors which are disposed on both sides of the lens assembly respectively; and a strap structure, including a strap body, an adjusting component and a positioning component. The strap body is connected to the two lateral connectors of the goggle main body. The adjusting component and the positioning component is slidably disposed on the strap body and clamps the strap body.

Preferably, the adjusting component is located between the goggle main body and the positioning component.

Preferably, the lateral connectors are integrally formed with the lens assembly, or assembled with the lens assembly.

Preferably, the adjusting component applies a first clamping force to the strap body, the positioning component applies a second clamping force to the strap body, and the first clamping force is less than the second clamping force.

Preferably, the adjusting component comprises at least one perforation, which comprises a plurality of teeth; and the strap body passes through the at least one perforation and is pressed by the teeth.

Preferably, at least one or each of the positioning component or the adjusting component comprises a housing, a pressing piece and a spring. The pressing piece is partially disposed in the housing. The spring is disposed in the housing and abuts against the pressing piece. Each of the housing and the pressing piece includes at least one perforation, and the strap body passes through the perforation and is pressed by the pressing piece.

Preferably, the strap body is a bungee strap, or the strap body is made of silicone rubber, themoplastic rubber, or polyvinyl chloride.

Preferably, the strap body comprises a first surrounding portion, a second surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended. The first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion are configured to come into contact a head of a user wearing the swimming goggle, and the hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head. The adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion

Preferably, the strap body comprises a surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended. The surrounding portion is configured to come into contact with the head of a user wearing the swimming goggle. The hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head. The adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion.

The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D are respectively a perspective view, an exploded view, a top view and a partial enlarged view of a swimming goggle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are partially enlarged views of a swimming goggle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating the length change of a strap and the sliding of an adjusting component in a swimming goggle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are respectively a perspective view and a front view of an adjusting component of a swimming goggle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a positioning component of a swimming goggle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a swimming goggle according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described specifically. However, the present invention may be implemented by embodiments of various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the scope claimed in the present invention shall not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments. As shall be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, technical contents recorded in each of the embodiments can be modified or some or all of technical features thereof can be substantially replaced, and these modifications or replacement do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, attached drawings are only schematic illustrations of this application, and same or similar reference numerals in the drawings indicate same or similar components, so repeated description thereof may be omitted. Each of the technical features in the above summary of the invention may also be taken as the technical contents of the embodiments or as possible variants of the embodiments. The orientations (e.g., front and back, left and right, both sides, vertical, horizontal, etc.) are relative descriptors and may be defined according to the use status of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a swimming goggle 1 and a strap structure 20 are proposed, and the swimming goggle 1 comprises a goggle main body 10 and the strap structure 20.

The goggle main body 10 basically includes a lens assembly 11 and two lateral connectors 12. The lens assembly 11 covers and protects the eyes and the surrounding parts of the eyes when a user wears the swimming goggle 1. The lens assembly 11 has different constitutions depending on the type of the swimming goggle 1. For this embodiment, the swimming goggle 1 are used for general swimming, so the lens assembly 11 may comprise two lenses 111, two frames 112, a bridge of nose 113 and two contact pads 114 or the like. Each of the lenses 111 may be a glass or plastic lens. Each of the frames 112 covers and surrounds the periphery of the lens 111. The bridge of nose 113 is disposed between the two frames 112 and connects the two frames 112 (the bridge of nose 113 and the frames 112 may be integrally formed and molded together). In other embodiments, the lens 111 and the frame 112 may also be integrally formed. The contact pad (also called as a skirt portion) 114 is disposed on the frame 112 and extends backward from the frame 112. The contact pad 114 is flexible or soft and can conform to the face of the user (a person wearing the swimming goggle) to be deformed so as to fit with the face and prevent water or moisture permeation. In other embodiments, the two lenses 111 may be connected lenses. The two contact pads 114 may also be connected contact pads.

The lens assembly 11 may be the part of any swimming goggle that remains after removing the strap structure. The more specific technical contents and implementation changes of the lens assembly 11 shall be known to those of ordinary skill in the art and thus will not be further described herein.

The two lateral connectors 12 are respectively disposed on both sides (i.e., left and right sides) of the lens assembly 11, i.e., each of the two lateral connectors 12 is disposed on the outer side of one of the frames 112 (not the inner side connected to the bridge of nose 113). The lateral connector 12 is configured to connect the strap body 21 of the strap structure 20 to allow the strap body 21 to pass (be threaded) therethrough and prevent the strap body 21 from falling off. The lateral connector 12 is generally a perforated structure such as a ring or the like, and the lateral connector 12 may be integrally formed with the frame 112. In other embodiment, the lateral connectors 12 and lens assembly 11 are fabricated separately, and the lateral connectors 12 are then be assembled with the frame 112 of the lens assembly 11.

With reference to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, in this embodiment, the lateral connector 12 comprises a bump 121 and two inverted hooks 122. The bump 121 is disposed on the frame 112 and extends laterally from the frame 112, while the inverted hooks 122 are disposed on the bump 121 and extend toward the frame 112 but do not contact the frame 112. The bump 121 and the two inverted hooks 122 integrally form a T-shaped structure. The strap body 21 may pass between the bump 121 and an inverted hook 122, then bend, and then pass between the bump 121 and another inverted hook 122. Furthermore, the strap body 21 is hung on the bump 121 and then is restrained from falling off by the two inverted hooks 122. Since the inverted hook 122 is soft or flexible, the user can pull the inverted hook 122 to conveniently hang the strap body 21 on the bump 121.

With reference to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D, the strap structure 20 of the swimming goggle 1 will be described. The strap structure 20 comprises the above-mentioned strap body 21, an adjusting component 22, a positioning component 23 and a fixing component 24. The strap body 21 is elastic and can be stretched by the user to store elastic potential energy. The strap body 21 is preferably a bungee strap, which can be stretched greatly and is not flat to facilitate the sliding of the adjusting component 22. In other embodiments, the strap body 21 can be made of silicone rubber, themoplastic rubber, or polyvinyl chloride; the strap body 21 may also be a braided strap.

The strap body 21 may pass through the two lateral connectors 12 of the lens assembly 11 and be hooked thereon, and then two end portions of the strap body 21 may abut on each other side by side (may be further fixed through the fixing component 24), to form a first surrounding portion 211, a second surrounding portion 212, a hanging portion 213 and other portions that are integrally extended. All of these portions are located behind the lens 111. The first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 are approximately half a circle and at least surround the two sides and the rear side of the head of the user, and can come into contact with the head of the user when they are tightened. The hanging portion 213 does not come into contact with the head of the user, but hangs behind the head. The length changes of the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 are opposite to that of the hanging portion 213, i.e., the hanging portion 213 becomes longer when the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 become shorter.

Next, the adjusting component 22, the positioning component 23 and the fixing component 24 of the strap structure 20 will be described. With reference to the lens assembly 11, or the head of the user, the adjusting component 22 is located in front of the positioning component 23, and the positioning component 23 is located in front of the fixing component 24. In other words, the adjusting component 22 is located between the goggle main body 10 (the head of the user) and the positioning component 23, and the positioning component 23 is located between the adjusting component 22 and the fixing component 24,

Both the adjusting component 22 and the positioning component 23 are slidably disposed on the strap body 21, while the fixing component 24 is fixedly disposed on the strap body 21. In addition, the adjusting component 22 and the positioning component 23 also clamp the strap body 21 to increase the static friction force between the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 as well as the static friction force between the positioning component 23 and the strap body 21.

More specifically, the adjusting component 22 applies a first clamping force to the strap body 21, while the positioning component 23 applies a second clamping force to the strap body 22. After the first clamping force and the second clamping force are multiplied by static friction coefficients and the like, the static friction force between the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 as well as the static friction force between the positioning component 23 and the strap body 21 can be obtained respectively. The adjusting component 22 (or the fixing component 23) and the strap body 21 slide relative to each other only when one of them bears a force exceeding the static friction force. The fixing component 24 does not need to slide relative to the strap body 21.

In addition, the adjusting component 22, the positioning component 23 and the fixing component 24 are disposed on the hanging portion 213. The relative lengths of the first surrounding portion 211, the second surrounding portion 212 and the hanging portion 213 may be adjusted by the relative sliding of the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21. When wearing the swimming goggle 1, the user may apply a force to slide the adjusting component 22 forward to abut against the head of the user so that the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 are gradually tightened to the head of the user. After the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 are tightened, an appropriate pulling force (or called tightening force) is generated to prevent the permeation of water while preventing the lens assembly 11 from excessively pressing the face of the user. For example, the appropriate pulling force may be preferably 0.6 to 1.1 kg, and more preferably, may be 0.8 kg.

With reference to FIG. 3, the first clamping force F1 applied by the adjusting component 22 is set according to the pulling force that is maintained after the strap body 21 (the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212) is tightened to the head of the user. If the appropriate pulling force after the tightening is 0.6 to 1.1 kg, then the preferred static friction force between the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 is 0.6 to 1.1 kg accordingly. When a force applied by the user makes the tightening force exceed the appropriate pulling force, the static friction force between the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 cannot bear the tightening force. The adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 then automatically slide relative to each other to slightly loosen the strap body 21 (as shown by the dotted lines); thus, the tightening force of the strap body 21 is reduced to the appropriate pulling force that is set.

Because of the features mentioned above, a user wearing the swimming goggle 1 does not need to worry about excessive tightening force of the strap body 21. In addition, the user may also apply a force to make the strap body 21 have a larger tightening force at the beginning when he/she wears the swimming goggle 1, and then stop applying the force to allow the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 to automatically slide relative to each other, thereby supplying the strap body 21 with the appropriate pulling force. Furthermore, by simply applying a force to reduce the length of the strap body 21 once, the strap body 21 can have the appropriate pulling force.

After the relative sliding between the adjusting component 22 and the strap body 21 is stopped, the user may move the positioning component 23 to abut against or approach the adjusting component 22. In this way, the appropriate lengths of the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 (i.e., the appropriate position of the adjusting component 22 on the strap body 21) may be marked by the positioning component 23. With this arrangement, when the user stores or uses the swimming goggle 1, the user does not need to worry whether the adjusting component 22 has inadvertently slid backwards. The inadvertent backward-sliding may cause the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212 to be excessively loose (i.e., the tightening force of the strap body 21 is lowered below the appropriate pulling force that is set).

Preferably, the first clamping force that is applied to the strap body 21 by the adjusting component 22 is less (i.e. not greater) than the second clamping force applied to the strap body 21 by the positioning component. More preferably, the first clamping force is less than the second clamping force, i.e., it is harder to slide the positioning component 23 on the strap body 21 than it is to slide the adjusting component 22. This will ensure that the adjusting component 22 will not slide backwards after the positioning component 23 abuts against the adjusting component 22.

With reference to FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B and FIG. 5, specific structures of the adjusting component 22 and the positioning component 23 will be described. The adjusting component 22 comprises a housing 221 and at least one perforations 222, for example, two perforations 222. The two perforations 222 are disposed on the housing 221 and penetrate through the housing 221 in the front-and-back direction. The perforations 222 may be oval or round holes. Each of the perforations 222 further comprises a plurality of teeth 2221 which are arranged along the periphery of the perforation 222. The strap body 21 may pass through the perforation 222 and then be pressed by the teeth 2221. That is, the teeth 2221 may sink into the strap body 21 to deform the strap body 21, thereby, increasing the static friction force between the teeth 2221 and the strap body 21. By increasing the amount of interference between the teeth 2221 and the strap body 21, the first clamping force applied to the strap body 21 by the adjusting component 22 can be increased.

The positioning component 23 comprises a housing 231, a pressing piece 232 and a spring 233. The pressing piece 232 is partially disposed in the housing 231 and partially protrudes outside the housing 231. The user may press the pressing piece 232 to move the pressing piece 232 into the housing 231. The spring 233 is disposed in the housing 231 and may be located below the pressing piece 232. One end of the spring 233 may abut against the housing 231, while the other end thereof abuts against the pressing piece 232. The housing 231 comprises at least one perforation 2311 (or two perforations), the pressing piece 232 also comprises at least one perforation 2321 (or two perforations), and inner diameters of the perforations 2311 and 2321 may be larger than the outer diameter of the strap body 21. The strap body 21 may pass through the perforations 2311 and 2321, and then be pressed by the pressing piece 232 and clamped by the pressing piece 232 and the housing 231. More specifically, the spring 233 pushes the pressing piece 232 outwards so that the strap body 21 within the perforation 2321 of the pressing piece 232 is also pushed, but the strap body 21 within the perforation 2311 of the housing 231 is not pushed. Therefore, the strap body 21 at the junction of the housing 231 and the pressing piece 232 will be bent, and edges of the perforations 2311 and 2321 will sink into the strap body 21, thereby, making it difficult for the positioning component 23 and the strap body 21 to slide relative to each other. By increasing the elastic force of the spring 233, the second clamping force applied to the strap body 21 by the positioning component 23 can be increased. Once the strap body 21 has not been pressed after the pressing piece 232 is pressed, the positioning component 23 and the strap body 21 can easily slide relative to each other. The perforations 2311 and 2321 may also comprise teeth (not shown) to increase the clamping force.

The adjusting component 22 may also adopt the implemented structure of the positioning component 23, and vice versa. In addition to the above-described implemented structure, the adjusting component 22 and the positioning component 23 may also adopt other structures capable of pressing the strap body 21.

With reference back to FIG. 1D, the fixing component 24 is configured to fix the two end portions of the strap body 21 as described above. The fixing component 24 may be omitted when the two end portions are integrally formed, tied, bonded or the like. In addition, the fixing component 24 may also be omitted when the two end portions of the strap body 21 do not need to be fixed to each other.

With reference back to FIG. 1B, the strap body 21 may be bent to form the first surrounding portion 211 and the second surrounding portion 212. The bent portion 214 (i.e., the connecting portion of the first surrounding portion 21 and the second surrounding portion 212) may be hooked on the lateral connector 12. With reference to FIG. 6 in other embodiments, the two end portions of the strap body 21 may also be directly fixed to the lateral connector 12 (tied to or clamped by the lateral connector 12, etc.) to form a single surrounding portion 212. The length of the surrounding portion 212 may be increased or decreased by moving the adjusting component 22 to adjust the tightening force of the surrounding portion 212.

According to the above descriptions, the strap structure provided by the present invention can automatically adjust the strap body to a suitable tightness so that the swimming goggle can be worn comfortably with convenience. In addition to being used in the swimming goggle as a constituent element of the swimming goggle, the strap structure may also be used in head-mounted devices such as protective goggles or the like so that these devices can be worn comfortably.

The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A swimming goggle, comprising: a goggle main body, including a lens assembly and lateral connectors disposed on both sides of the lens assembly respectively; and a strap structure, including a strap body, an adjusting component and a positioning component, the strap body connecting to the lateral connectors of the goggle main body, the adjusting component and the positioning component being slidably disposed on the strap body and clamping the strap body.
 2. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the adjusting component is located between the goggle main body and the positioning component.
 3. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the lateral connectors are integrally formed with the lens assembly.
 4. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the lateral connectors are assembled with the lens assembly.
 5. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the adjusting component applies a first clamping force to the strap body, and the positioning component applies a second clamping force to the strap body, and the first clamping force is less than the second clamping force.
 6. The swimming google of claim 1, wherein the adjusting component comprises at least one perforation, which comprises a plurality of teeth; and the strap body is threaded through the at least perforation and is pressed by the teeth.
 7. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein one or each of the positioning component and the adjusting component comprises a housing, a pressing piece and a spring, the pressing piece is partially disposed in the housing, the spring is disposed in the housing and abuts against the pressing piece; each of the housing and the pressing piece comprises at least one perforation, and the strap body is threaded through the perforations and is pressed by the pressing piece.
 8. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the strap body is a bungee strap.
 9. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the strap body is made of silicone rubber, themoplastic rubber, or polyvinyl chloride.
 10. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the strap body comprises a first surrounding portion, a second surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion are configured to contact a head of a user, and the hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head; the adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion.
 11. The swimming goggle of claim 1, wherein the strap body comprises a surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended, the surrounding portion is configured to contact a head of a user, and the hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head; the adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion.
 12. A strap structure, comprising a strap body, an adjusting component and a positioning component, the adjusting component and the positioning component being slidably disposed on the strap body and clamping the strap body.
 13. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the adjusting component is located between the positioning component and a head of a user wearing the strap body.
 14. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the adjusting component applies a first clamping force to the strap body, and the positioning component applies a second clamping force to the strap body, and the first clamping force is less than the second clamping force.
 15. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the adjusting component comprises at least one perforation, which comprises a plurality of teeth; and the strap body is threaded through the at least one perforation and is pressed by the teeth.
 16. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein one or each of the positioning component and the adjusting component comprises a housing, a pressing piece and a spring, the pressing piece is partially disposed in the housing, the spring is disposed in the housing and abuts against the pressing piece; each of the housing and the pressing piece comprises at least one perforation, and the strap body is threaded through the perforations and is pressed by the pressing piece.
 17. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the strap body is a bungee strap.
 18. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the strap body is made of silicone rubber, themoplastic rubber, or polyvinyl chloride.
 19. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the strap body comprises a first surrounding portion, a second surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion are configured to contact a head of a user, and the hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head; the adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion.
 20. The strap structure of claim 12, wherein the strap body comprises a surrounding portion and a hanging portion which are integrally extended, the surrounding portion is configured to contact a head of a user, and the hanging portion is configured to hang behind the head; the adjusting component and the positioning component are disposed on the hanging portion. 